Tiger's Eye
by Crimson Angel Sin
Summary: Crusaders-humans with the power of a Quincy and the combat skills of a Shinigami-have arrived in the small town of Karakura. They hold something precious. Something that the Espada want very badly and will go to any lengths to retrieve it...NovaxOC
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_._

_Crimson: Okay, just so everyone knows: I may not get everyone's character right. I've seen the first season, the third season, and the fourth seasons, but that's it! And, I am currently without internet. . .well, if I get this posted, then that may change. . . . Well, whatever! Anyway, I am going to try and watch the rest of the anime so I can get everyone's character correct. This means that the Espada will have to wait before they can show up in my fanfiction!_

_Espada: WHAT?_

_Crimson: **ignores them** Well, I suppose ALL the arrancar will have to wait. . . . (I know most of what goes on in the storyline despite never having watched that part of the anime, but I still remain oblivious as to their characters. And I'd rather not try and guess on that. . . . I hate making someone else's character ooc. It drives me crazy!)._

_ So, on that note...READ ON!_

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**Prologue**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

She couldn't believe her eyes.

That was all she could think. That was all that went through her head at that precious moment in time.

It just wasn't possible.

The crimson liquid that splattered the ground and even stained her own skin, proved her otherwise. The smell of death forced its way into her flaring nostrils. The familiar spiritual energy–a person's very life essence–slowly ebbed away, teasing her with its sluggishness. If only she could reach out her hand and bring it back. If only there was a way to plug the gaping hole in her sensei's chest, then maybe, just maybe, she could halt the inevitable. . . .

Tears filled her eyes, making her vision go hazy. She clenched her jaws tightly together to prevent them from spilling. She willed them away, used to the emotion-halting endeavor but it still proved difficult every time. . . .

With one last glare up at the thundering sky, she stood up and took off into the night. She gave the rain no heed, blatantly ignoring it as she reluctantly obeyed her sensei's last wishes. . . .


	2. Unshed Tears

_Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_._

_Crimson: . . .eh-hem **clears throat** ...READ ON!_

_Bleach cast: **sweatdrops**_

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**Chapter One–**

**Unshed Tears**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The orange glow coming from within the confines of the little shop looked overly-welcoming and warm to the young woman's exhausted eyes. She had been running for a long while now and in the rain, at that.

She slowed down her breakneck speed to a light jog. When she was within a few feet of that familiar wooden door, the girl finally came to a complete stop. Wariness now sprang upon her. A breath of uncertainty tickled her insides, making her visibly shiver. Although everything inside her screamed at her to continue inside and find her sanctuary, that familiar wave her parents had created in her earlier years perked up its annoying head.

What if he couldn't help her? What if she had simply heard her sensei wrong and had come for nothing? Or worse, what if he could help her, but refused?

With a rough shake of her head, she dismissed such foolish thoughts. They were simply her nerves fluttering about, creating misleading notions inside her head. She knew this, yet she remained on-edge about the whole situation. Steeling herself against any possible rejection, the young woman took a few steps closer to the inviting doorway. This was _him_, after all! He wouldn't turn her away! Never in a million years! He had said so himself. . . .

Still. . . .

Her pale, slender hand rested against the rough wood of the door, trembling in a combination of fear and fatigue. Her thin body felt ready to drop at any second. She knew it wouldn't, but that didn't stop her muscles from quivering or her head from spinning.

She had to act fast.

Drawing in a deep breath so she could gain some courage, the girl eased the shop door open and slipped inside. Instantly, her ice-cold skin drew in the warmth from the air. Being indoors where the rain and cold could no longer reach her helped only a bit. She still had streams of rainwater pouring from her soaked black hair and clothes, somehow numbing her body further than what it had been outside. She ignored the discomfort as best she could and continued deeper into the store. Her storm-grey eyes searched the dark room, seeking the one she knew to be here. In the state her body was in now, there was no way she would be able to sense him. She would have to rely on eyesight alone to spot the friendly shop-owner.

Just where the hell was the door to the back? For the life of her, she couldn't remember how to get to his living quarters from here. She knew he lived here, but she had always taken a different route to get to the "house" part of this place. Maybe that was what she should have done instead of entering through the front? She had her reasons for doing so, but she couldn't remember what they were now. . . .

Her gaze suddenly lit upon an outline of a doorway in the back, right corner. It lay hidden in shadows, which explained the reason of why she hadn't spotted it right away. She could faintly make out the warm glow of some sort of lighting emanating from the other side as she got closer. It was an open doorframe so she didn't have to worry about making a door creak whenever she entered a sort of hallway.

Geez, she felt like a thief breaking into a house. . . .

Well, at least, she now knew where she was. From here on out, she could follow the layout of the house like the back of her hand. Thank the Goddess for photographic memory (or, semi-photographic, whatever. . . .).

She stumbled just a bit on the raised corner of a tatami mat as she entered the first room on her right. Knowing she couldn't catch herself because of how poor her body currently was, she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable impact from the floor.

But it never came.

Instead a pair of strong arms encased her upper body, keeping her from slamming face-first into the unyielding wood. She felt grateful for that, and was about to speak of her gratitude when the body heat of the person holding her penetrated the ice-cold of her skin. The warmth wrapped comfortingly around her, blanketing her fragile-seeming form in heated bliss. It made her increasingly drowsy.

"Well, well, Nova," a masculine voice made itself known to her ears. It seemed very far away and hazy, but she could still make out that familiar tone of amusement. "Nice catch!" The voice grew closer as if the speaker was walking towards her, but the confusing mists of her darkening mind were slowly strangling her. She would fall unconscious any moment now. . . .

With a massive effort, the young woman tore herself away from the person–Nova–who had caught her. She didn't waste the precious effort to even glance at him as she turned her glazed grey eyes towards the one she desperately needed to see.

"Ame?" the man in the striped hat and plain kimono addressed in obvious befuddlement. That puzzlement quickly grew into concern when he noticed the state his young friend was in. "What happened?" he demanded, kneeling down to get at eye-level with the trembling girl. He rested a steadying hand on her shoulder, biting back a curse at how cold her skin felt.

"Sensei. . . ." she mumbled, voice shaking just as much–if not more-so–than the rest of her. Her quiet voice rang clearly throughout the sudden hush of the cozy room. "They. . . ." She stopped. She didn't want to say it. If she said it, then it would be true. If she spoke those words, then everything would shatter. And she wasn't sure if she would be able to pick up the pieces this time. . . .

A light squeeze on her shoulder encouraged her to continue. Ame bit back her tears, forcing her grief into the deepest recesses of her mind before she breathed out the next words that would break the last remnants of her life.

"They killed him."

Three words. Three simple words were all it took for Ame's heart to disappear. Instead of the tears; instead of the usual sadness or grief, all she could feel was a widening hole in her chest where her heart used to reside. Limp strands of her long, black hair fell over her eyes, concealing the dull lifelessness in them. The feeling of Urahara's strong hand rubbing circles on her back brought her no comfort. Her ears blocked out the harsh orders he gave to those gathered in the room, uncaring as to whether they concerned her or not.

She thought that she was stronger than this. After all that had happened, she thought that she could handle it if someone else fell out of her life like this. What was that saying? "What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger"? What a laugh. They should have a limit on that, don't you think?

The events of the day replayed in her head, over and over again until she thought that she was going to be sick. However, it seemed the spinning thoughts had one up-side, at least: she was no longer feeling like she was about to faint.

"Ame! Can you hear me? Ame!" Urahara's urgent voice suddenly registered in her brain. It seemed she could now hear him perfectly. The fog that had previously gathered over her eyes quickly faded, stranding her within the agonizing confines of reality rather than consoling her into the embrace of blissful unconsciousness.

"Yes, I'm okay now," she half-lied. Physically–though still a wreck–she felt alright. Emotionally, on the other hand. . . .

The older man released a sigh of relief, but his hands still gripped her shoulders tightly. "Geez, don't scare me like that, kid," he reprimanded gently, giving her a lopsided grin. She could still make out the worry in his carefree features, but she decided to play along anyway.

"Sorry," she mumbled softly. Apparently, she must have made a cute face or something, because the man went all ballistic and started hugging her tightly. Her gentle nature easily put up with it. Patience was something she seemed to have in almost-endless amounts. . . .

"Oh, no need to apologize, Ame-chan! As long as you're safe and sound!" Urahara cried out joyously, ruffling her soaking-wet hair with his large hand as he would a child.

Ame pouted at being treated this way, but didn't complain about it. This was how he showed his affection to her, so she would allow it. Even if she was actually much older than what she appeared. . . .

"Hey, is she going to be alright?" an unfamiliar voice came from behind the pair. It held an unmistakable childish note to it. Ame glanced behind her to see who the speaker was. A little girl with short, straw-colored hair and a rather-odd-looking outfit stood at the doorframe. She looked to be around the age of Ururu and Jinta, maybe older. Her large, sky-blue eyes shone with concern and pity as she watched the newcomer be consoled by the shopkeeper. Two other strangers stood beside her. On the girl's left was a tall man with two-toned hair–one side black and the other blonde. He wore a tall hat, glasses, and an outfit that immediately reminded Ame of _Alice in Wonderland_. He, too, had clear, blue eyes that were currently focused on Ame, although he looked a bit unsettled by something. The other one was male, too, or at least she thought so. She couldn't really tell based on how much was concealed from the viewer's eyes. There was a flat chest, though, so she had to assume the person was a guy. He stayed up against the doorframe even as his comrades inched forward to see what else they could do to help out. Ame's eyes rested on his proud, lithe form, and narrowed a little when she caught sight of bright-green eyes and a few locks of scarlet bangs sticking out from between the slit in his mask. His sense of style was the strangest by far. It triggered the image of a ninja yet it still didn't quite hold traditional to that particular garb. The opening in the mask looked like some sort of zipper. . .which was proven true when the man caught sight of the new girl studying him and zipped his hood close.

What an odd trio.

"Yes, she will be," Urahara answered the little girl's question. Ame could hear the note of uncertainty within his voice, but the trio didn't so their looks of relief (well, the little girl's and the tall man's, anyway. The other guy still had his mask zipped. . . .) didn't falter. The shopkeeper was a splendid actor, it would seem. Then again, Ame was too, pretending everything was okay when, in reality, she felt–for lack of a better term–dead inside.

"We've got that room ready, as you said," the tall man with the hat interjected with a nervous smile.

Ah, so that's what Urahara had been barking orders about.

"That's good," Urahara took a deep breath before getting to his feet. It was a pretty awkward feat considering he refused to release Ame for even a second so they both had to stand up together. "Well, Ame, I think it's best if we get you out of those wet clothes. It won't do any good if you catch cold, you know," Urahara informed with a fake grin. Although he was obviously reluctant to do so, the shopkeeper steered the dripping girl over to the blonde child. "Ririn, would you be so kind as to help her get dressed? Tessai should already have a change of clothes in her room by now. After that, let her get some sleep and come back here, alright?"

Ririn nodded her head wordlessly, eyes wide as she proceeded with her task. "Come now. We're going to get you all dry and warm, 'kay?" the little girl suggested with a big smile as she took the taller female's hand in her own and led her down the hall. After the two disappeared around the corner, Urahara turned to the remaining Mod souls in the room.

"Well, this certainly was unexpected," he thought aloud, rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger. He felt sorrow for his dear friend press uncomfortably against his chest, but pressed it back. Now was not the time to grieve. He wasn't even sure if he was capable of such a thing. After all, he–being an ex-Shinigami–knew that his old colleague wouldn't remain dead forever. In fact, with all the events that had been happening as of late, he had a 50/50 chance of seeing him again. Death was more of a pothole than the eternal abyss everyone always seemed to picture. . . .

"Who was that girl?" the red-headed Mod soul finally spoke.

"You unzipped your hood, huh? Nova?" Urahara teased with a smirk. He sweatdropped when the redhead closed his mask once again in response to his banter.

"I have more interest in the answer as to _what_ she is rather than who," Kurodo pressed, throwing his hands in the air while simultaneously shrugging his shoulders.

Nova grunted in agreement from within the confines of his hood.

"Hmm. So you've noticed that, huh?" Urahara intoned, impressed with their superb senses. "Well, I don't know if I can explain it. She would probably answer that question with a lot more detail than I have at my disposal," he mulled, thoughtfully. "But I can say that she's nothing like what we've ever encountered before. Oh! And her name's Ame Tenken. She's the only student of an old friend of mine." His eyes saddened at this point as they drifted to the opening of the hallway where the girls had disappeared into. "He basically acted like her father or grandfather, even going so far as to bring her with him all the way from America to live here in Japan." He paused here, unsure of how to put this next part. "With him gone, she's got no other place to go."

Both Kurodo and Nova were silent for a long while. Neither desired to break the tense atmosphere that suddenly crowded the once-comfortable dining area. Finally, unable to stand the tension any longer, Nova spoke up.

"So that means she will be staying here." He didn't phrase it as a question since he already knew the answer. Why else would the girl–Ame–have come here? And why else would their "master"–Urahara–have set up a room for her?

Urahara nodded his head, tipping his hat forward to conceal his eyes in shadow.

"Yes, Ame will be living here," he verified. The two mod souls waited for whatever he was going to say next, for they knew he wasn't finished.

"That girl has no idea that her teacher's death was just the beginning of something far-more terrible. . . ."


	3. UPDATE!

This is NOT an update!

I am sorry to inform you that the story "Tiger's Eye" will no longer exist... I realized that I had waaaaaay too many fanfictions and stories that sounded almost exactly alike and I kept jumping around without getting anything accomplished...

Therefore, "Tiger's Eye" is now combined with "Fragments of Faith" which is also a Bleach fanfiction, of course. It has some tweaks to it but it will have similar ideas at least. ^.^

Please don't kill me? **nervous laugh**


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